3C Retail A/S
3C Retail A/S is a Denmark-based consumer finance company operating L'easy, THORN, D:E:R, and Føniks Inkasso brands to deliver installment financing, appliance leasing, cash loans, and debt collection services to individual consumers across Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1985
- HeadquartersOdense, Denmark
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What 3C Retail A/S does
3C Retail A/S is a Danish-headquartered consumer finance company that provides installment-based financing, leasing/rental, and cash loans to individual consumers in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Operating through four wholly-owned brands — L'easy (Denmark), THORN (Norway and Sweden), D:E:R (Denmark), and Føniks Inkasso (Denmark, debt collection) — the company offers flexible small-monthly-payment financing as an alternative to cash purchases for household appliances and consumer goods. The business model combines recurring subscription-style revenue (appliance leasing/rental), transaction-based installment and loan interest income, and professional services fees from debt collection.
Founded in 1985 by Niels Thorborg as VaskRent (washing-machine rental by phone) and rebranded to L'EASY in 1992, the company was converted to an aktieselskab in 1999 and renamed to 3C Retail in 2014. The firm is family-owned (Thorborg-controlled), sits inside the diversified 3C Groups conglomerate (which also includes Facit Bank, Dinex, Blue Ocean Robotics, real estate, and Odense-based hospitality/sports entities), and is led by founder/CEO/chairman Niels Thorborg. Distribution is multi-channel: physical L'easy and THORN retail stores, brand-specific e-commerce sites, and a residual telephone sales channel inherited from the original 1985 model. Headquarters is in Odense with operational offices in Oslo and Stockholm and distribution centers in Fredericia and Rødovre.
No proprietary technology platform, mobile app, public API, or AI/ML capability is disclosed; the company is fundamentally a regulated consumer-finance and retail operator rather than a technology company. Total headcount is approximately 64 employees. The corporate history shows both offensive moves (cross-border acquisitions of Thorn's Nordic operations 2005–2006, bank-license entry via Facit Bank 2019, debt-collection build-out 2020, warehouse consolidation 2022) and defensive portfolio pruning (sale of wupti.com to Dansk Supermarked in 2015, sale of Inspiration A/S to Imerco in 2017, closure of the VÆRSGO lifestyle chain in 2020).
3C Retail A/S firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- 3C Retail A/S
- Legal name
- 3C Retail A/S
- Website
- https://3cretail.dk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1985
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- 3C Retail A/S is a Denmark-based consumer finance company operating L'easy, THORN, D:E:R, and Føniks Inkasso brands to deliver installment financing, appliance leasing, cash loans, and debt collection services to individual consumers across Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where 3C Retail A/S is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Odense
- HQ country
- Denmark
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices5 records
Markets served
3C Retail A/S business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Appliance Leasing and Rental: Revenue generated from leasing and renting household appliances (washing machines, TVs, video equipment) to consumers on a subscription basis. Started in 1985 with phone-based vaskemaskine-udlejning (washing machine rental).
- Installment Sales and Financing: Revenue from offering products on installment plans (salg på afbetaling) and cash loans (kontantlån) to consumers. The company provides flexible financing options where customers pay in small monthly amounts.
- Debt Collection Services: Føniks Inkasso A/S, established in 2020, provides debt collection services as part of the 3C Group ecosystem.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Monthly | Flexible financing plans with monthly payments |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
3C Retail A/S product offering
Product offeringCore offering
3C Retail A/S is a Scandinavian consumer finance company that provides household appliance leasing and rental, installment sales (salg på afbetaling), cash loans (kontantlån), and debt collection services directly to individual consumers. Operating under four brands (L'easy in Denmark, THORN in Norway and Sweden, D:E:R in Denmark, and Føniks Inkasso in Denmark), the company delivers flexible monthly payment financing as an alternative to cash purchases, with a focus on responsible credit assessment.
Product overview
3C Retail A/S operates as a financial services conglomerate offering a portfolio of brands including L'easy (Denmark), Thorn (Norway/Sweden), Føniks Inkasso, and D:E:R. The company provides flexible financing solutions through responsible credit assessments, installment payments, and loan products as alternatives to cash purchases. The business model centers on offering consumers economic flexibility through small monthly payments and transparent financial solutions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- L'easy: Financial services brand focusing on consumer financing and appliance rental/sales in Denmark
- THORN
- Føniks Inkasso
- D:E:R
Products and services
- L'easy L'easy is a financial services brand in Denmark offering flexible financing solutions, credit assessments, and installment plans to Danish consumers for purchasing household appliances and other products. The brand emphasizes taking customers' economic future seriously with responsible lending practices.
- THORN (Norway and Sweden) THORN provides consumer loan and financing services in Norway and Sweden, offering responsible credit solutions for consumers seeking to finance purchases that matter to them.
- Føniks Inkasso Føniks Inkasso provides debt collection and financial recovery services, helping customers become debt-free and move forward financially.
- D:E:R (D|E:R Privat Finans) D:E:R provides private financial services in Denmark, offering financing alternatives, installment payment options, and cash loans to Danish consumers.
Companies that use 3C Retail A/S
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles3 records
3C Retail A/S technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
3C Retail A/S partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- 3C Groupscore3C Retail A/S is a subsidiary of 3C Groups, a larger conglomerate. 3C Groups encompasses multiple business areas including real estate (private and commercial properties), consumer finance (under which 3C Retail operates), industry (including Dinex and Blue Ocean Robotics), and Odense-based entities (Odense Boldklub, Hotel Odeon, Odense Congress Center).
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves14 records
Expansion highlights4 records
3C Retail A/S competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- BB Finans: Norwegian consumer finance lender providing installment loans and consumer credit in Norway, directly competing with 3C Retail's THORN brand for Norwegian consumers.
Direct peers
- Resurs Bank: Swedish consumer finance bank specializing in retail and consumer loans across the Nordics, with a multi-brand structure and physical retail partnerships — the closest direct competitor to 3C Retail's appliance-financing model in Scandinavia.
- Komplett Bank: Norwegian consumer finance bank offering unsecured loans and credit to Norwegian consumers. Overlaps with 3C Retail's THORN operations in Norway and targets similar underbanked consumer segments.
- Svea Bank: Nordic-headquartered financial group offering consumer loans, installment financing, and debt collection across Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Denmark. Highly comparable multi-country Nordic consumer finance footprint.
- Ikano Bank: IKEA-affiliated bank providing consumer finance and installment loans across the Nordics and Europe. Comparable in offering flexible payment solutions for household goods to mass-market consumers.
Emerging players
- Klarna: Swedish BNPL and consumer credit fintech. While digitally native rather than retail-store-based, it competes for the same underbanked Nordic consumer seeking flexible financing for everyday purchases.
Broad incumbents
- Nordea Finance: Consumer finance arm of Nordea, the largest Nordic bank. Provides installment loans and consumer credit across the same three Nordic geographies 3C Retail serves, with broader balance-sheet capacity.
Others
- Facit Bank: Danish bank established in 2019 within 3C Groups at the same Odense location as 3C Retail. Sister entity providing banking infrastructure to the broader group ecosystem — relevant for understanding capital structure and licensing within 3C.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
3C Retail A/S social profiles
Digital presence3C Retail A/S financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
3C Retail A/S leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
3C Retail A/S subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries4 records
3C Retail A/S funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
3C Retail A/S M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about 3C Retail A/S
What does 3C Retail A/S do?
3C Retail A/S is a Scandinavian consumer finance company that provides household appliance leasing and rental, installment sales (salg på afbetaling), cash loans (kontantlån), and debt collection services directly to individual consumers. Operating under four brands (L'easy in Denmark, THORN in Norway and Sweden, D:E:R in Denmark, and Føniks Inkasso in Denmark), the company delivers flexible monthly payment financing as an alternative to cash purchases, with a focus on responsible credit assessment.
Is 3C Retail A/S a public or private company?
3C Retail A/S is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was 3C Retail A/S founded?
3C Retail A/S was founded in 1985. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is 3C Retail A/S based?
3C Retail A/S is headquartered in Odense, Denmark, in the Europe region.
How does 3C Retail A/S make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Appliance Leasing and Rental is the primary driver. The others are installment Sales and Financing and debt Collection Services.
Who are 3C Retail A/S's main competitors?
BB Finans is listed as a regional player. Direct peers are Resurs Bank, Komplett Bank, Svea Bank and Ikano Bank. Klarna is listed as an emerging player. Nordea Finance is listed as a broad incumbent. Facit Bank is listed as an others.
Does 3C Retail A/S have an API?
No public API is recorded for 3C Retail A/S.